LEGISLATIVE REPORT
General Assembly- Fourth Week
By REP. CHARLES JENKINS

Charles Jenkins

Members of the Georgia General Assembly often fight along party lines on key issues; however, they have a history of camaraderie in recognizing outstanding accomplishments of colleagues.

Zell Miller, a Democrat, is the only Georgian to have served as Lieutenant Governor (1975-90), Governor (1991-98) and U.S. Senator (2000-04).

His greatest public achievement was the creation of the HOPE Scholarship. In the past 13 years over one million of our state's best and brightest students have been able to attend Georgia's colleges and universities without having to pay for tuition, books or fees.

This week, the House of Representatives came together in a camaraderie manner as members of both parties voted 153-3 to authorize the Capitol Arts Commission to erect a statue of Senator Miller on the statehouse grounds.

A longstanding debate over how Georgia regulates the construction of medical facilities through the Certificate of Need (CON) Law is receiving legislative attention this session. Under current law, the Department of Community Health issues a CON before any health care facility can be built and deliver certain types of medical services. Before issuing a certificate, the state analyzes the need for medical services as well as the impact on existing health care facilities.

Supporters of the CON law, which are usually hospitals, say it is necessary because it reduces the number of duplica- tive medical facilities. Opponents, including many physicians, want to be able to operate medical facilities without being required for a CON. House Speaker Glenn Richardson this week appointed a special committee to address the issue.

Legislation has been introduced that would soften some of the restrictions put in place in 2004 to phase out book and fee payments for HOPE Scholarship recipients if lottery revenue dwindles. Under the 2004 law, book fees would be limited to $150 for the following year whenever year-end collections fall below those of the previous year, and would be eliminated if that occurred two years in a row.

House Bill 229 wouldn't be that strict. Year-end balances could dip as low as 90 percent of prior year receipts before the restrictions would apply. The measure is under consideration in the House Appropriations Committee.

There was good news this week from the OneGeorgia Authority, which announced that the Joint Development Authority of Fannin, Towns and Union Counties received a $175,000 Equity Grant Award for tourism.

The funding will go toward construction of a visitor's center at the Byron Herbert Reece Farm and Heritage Center in Union County, adjacent to Vogel State Park. Reece, an Appalachia writer, poet and farmer who lived in Union County in the early 1900s, has been recognized as Georgia's Appalachia Poet Laureate. Total cost of the project is $3.25 million.

The legislature is in official recess, except for certain Committee meetings, until Thursday, February 8, which will be the 15the legislative day of the 2007 session. On February 10, the General Assembly will meet for a rare Saturday session as Family Day is observed. This will give Georgians who are unable to visit the Capitol during the work week an opportunity to see the lawmaking process in action.

Rep. Charles Jenkins (DBlairsville) represents the 8th District (Rabun, Towns, Union and White counties) in the Georgia House of Representatives. Contact him at 411 Coverdell Office Building, Atlanta, GA 30334; by phone at 404-656-0126 or by e-mail atcharles.jenkins@house.ga.gov